Rita Bresnahan sent me this upcoming resource: the good folks over at Spirituality & Health magazine have started a new website devoted entirely to different spiritual practices. They are offering a 40-day e-course beginning July 6 on “Practicing Spirituality through Creativity” for $10. I am all signed up, eager to see what other resources they offer.
As a Benedictine Oblate I have made a commitment to live out monastic values and practices in my everyday life. Perhaps one of the most profound values for me is humility. Humility does not elicit much awe or admiration in our culture. It is a value that seems outdated in our world of self-empowerment and self-esteem boosting, negating much of the me-first values that our culture holds so dear. Some of the reservations about humility are legitimate, especially for women. Abuse of humility can encourage passivity, low self-worth, and be used as a tool of oppression, imparting fear, guilt, or
“I regard monks and poets as the best degenerates in America. Both have a finely developed sense of the sacred potential in all things; both value image and symbol over utilitarian purpose or the bottom line; they recognize the transformative power hiding in the simplest things, and it leads them to commit absurd acts: the poem! the prayer! what nonsense! In a culture that excels at creating artificial, tightly controlled environments (shopping malls, amusement parks, chain motels), the art of monks and poets is useless, if not irresponsible, remaining out of reach of commercial manipulation and ideological justification.” –Kathleen Norris,
One of my favorite things to do is to watch clouds. Unlike the sense of groundedness and solidness I receive from ancient things, clouds are in a constant process of slowly shifting into different patterns, always revealing something new. I love to imagine God as the Great Artist, playing with the clouds, shifting their forms from moment to moment, seeing if we will notice. These images are from our trip to Kauai.
I am back from vacation, and wouldn’t you know it, the trip home exhausted me! I always feel like I need a vacation at home to recover from my vacation away. Maybe it’s because I am such a nester, or maybe it is because there is always a pile of things left undone when you return. Lots of realities that felt good to let go of for a time, but others that I am glad to return to. The time away was renewing for me. I realized before I left just how tired I was. I have a chronic illness, so
My birthday is tomorrow which always gives me pause for reflection, as a midway point in the year. About eight years ago, when I was visiting Santa Fe, I had my astrological chart done for fun. My aunt had recommended a psychic she knew working there, and so having just finished my first year of a stressful doctoral program, I treated myself to something different. I was absolutely amazed what this woman knew about me from reading my chart. I gained much more respect for the art of astrology, far more complex than those horoscopes in the newspaper lead you
Today is one of those great turning points of the earth, the summer solstice. I am aware here in Kauai, that being near the equator, there are not any noticeable shifts in light from season to season. Much unlike my home in Seattle where summer days stretch out long and light and winter days are short with the sun low on the horizon. I actually prefer the contrasts, and may be one of th few people in Seattle who loves the winter there. Tending the seasons is an important spiritual practice. Noticing what is happening with the earth’s movements and
My husband and I are on vacation in Kauai, an island formed from lava rising out of the sea over 5 million years ago. We drove up to Waimea Canyon, a gorge that was called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” by Mark Twain. As you gaze onto the walls of red rock you can see the layers of volcanic activity over those millions of years. Standing there in the presence of this ancient grandness evokes in me tremendous awe and humility. We also get to watch giant green sea turtles swimming in the bay outside of our condo window,
“If we were to abuse our children, Social Services would show up at our doors. If we were to abuse our pets, the Humane Society would come to take us away. But there is no Creativity Patrol or Soul Police to intervene if we insist on starving our own souls.” (Women Who Run With Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, 318) What are the things that most deeply nourish your soul? Do you allow yourself to indulge in this soul nourishment daily? If not, why not? What kind of citation would the Creativity Police write for you?
Yesterday we flew from Seattle to Kauai for a few days of relaxation. I will continue to write, as well as swim with turtles, eat pineapple, and bask in the beauty!
